TURKEY 101: Q&A ABOUT A CLASSIC
Well, Halloween is here and we’re now headlong into the rush towards Thanksgiving (notice I said Thanksgiving, even though all the stores will have their Christmas decorations up by week’s end).
What will be on your table for the holiday feast? Well, according to statistics – for 88% of Americans, it will be a turkey. That’s a staggering 46 million birds – around 736 million pounds of cooked poultry – more than at any other time of the year (including Christmas and Easter combined)[1].
While everyone hopes for a successful kitchen triumph to present to the family on that special day, there are bound to be some failures (some of them spectacular). To help get the ball rolling on the right foot, I’ve listed some Q&A below to assist in your Thanksgiving planning:
Q: How big of a turkey should I buy?
A: That depends, of course, on how many people you expect for dinner. As a rule, prepare one to one and a half pounds of turkey per guest (i.e. 10 people? Purchase a 10-15 pound bird). If you overshoot a little, don’t worry – that’s just more leftovers for later.
Q: Should I buy a fresh bird or a frozen one?
A: This is a matter of preference. These days, “frozen” turkeys are flash frozen as soon as they are butchered, so they are essentially the same (although you will obviously have to build-in the appropriate amount of thawing time for a frozen one). If you buy fresh, get one from a trusted butcher or purveyor only one or two days ahead of time (it’s best to pre-order so you’ll know there is one waiting for you). If you do buy frozen, always thaw it out in the refrigerator. Allow about 24 hours for every five pounds. If you are pressed for time, you can thaw out a frozen bird in cold water, but the water has to be constantly changed (to make sure it stays cold), and you should allow 2.5 – 5 hours for every five pounds.
Q: Should I stuff my turkey before cooking it?
A: Again, this is a matter of preference. I personally DON’T stuff my bird (you can’t really get that much stuffing in it anyway), and there are lots of ways for this process to go wrong (including causing you and your guests to become ill). It also throws off your turkey cooking time. My advice would be to make your stuffing on the side (in an oven or crockpot) and eliminate some of the cooking and safety variables.
Q: How long do I roast a turkey?
A: Again, there are as many answers to this as there are cooks. People roast at varying temperatures for varying amounts of time. I personally cook my turkey on a gas grill (after brining it for 24 hours), which frees up all my oven space for side dishes and other prep work. For a guideline at 325 degrees, a 12-14 pound bird should roast in about 3-4 hours (the internal temperature should reach 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh – without touching the bone – and the juices should run clear, not pink)[2].
Q: How can I assure a moist turkey after it has finished cooking?
A: LET IT REST! I can’t stress this enough. Allowing the turkey to sit after it has been removed from the oven or grill allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat all over the bird. If you carve it right after taking it out of the oven, all that juicy goodness spills out onto the cutting board, leaving you with a bone-dry and flavorless heap. Do yourself a favor and let the bird sit for 20-25 minutes BEFORE carving. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil and don’t touch it. Don’t even look at it. Go work on the rest of your sides (or make the gravy) while you wait.
Hopefully, this will get you started on planning the perfect holiday feast!
[1] “Turkey for the Holidays”, University of Illinois, 10/31/16, http://extension.illinois.edu/turkey/turkey_facts.cfm
[2] “Thanksgiving Turkey Basics”, What’s Cooking America, 10/31/16, https://whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/TurkeyBasics.htm
2 thoughts on “TURKEY 101: Q&A ABOUT A CLASSIC”
Hi Jim,
I enjoy your blog! Tell me how you go about cooking your turkey on the grill. I’ve always been afraid to do it that way, but with your help I’m willing to try.
Thanks,
Beverly
PS: I have a gas grill.
Hi Bev!
Grilling a turkey is very easy! Here are the steps to follow:
1) Make sure you have enough gas to get you through a 3-4 hour cooking time (I use a “new” canister of propane, just to be sure).
2) Heat up the grill and set it up for indirect heat (the outside burners on a 3-burner system). I get mine to where it will hold a temp of about 400 degrees (probably a “medium” setting).
3) Place your bird in a roasting pan, just like you would your oven. I like to have mine on an elevated rack so the turkey is not sitting down in all of the juices. The weight and size of the bird is not an issue as long as you have about 1-inch of clearance in the top of the grill once the bird/pan is on the grill. You can season the outside generously with olive oil – then add your herbs and seasonings (inside and out). I brine mine for 24 hours as prep, so I just need to rinse the bird and pat it dry before adding it to the pan.
4) Put the pan on the heated grill, add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan, and close the grill lid.
Check the bird occasionally and add more water to the bottom of the pan, as necessary. The wings and drumsticks are most likely to brown up first, so use some aluminum foil to loosely tent those portions to slow this process down, if you need to. Cover the breast as well once it reaches a nice golden color.
Use a meat thermometer to make sure your bird is done. Although I wrote a lower temp in the article for a “done” bird, I like mine at 170 in the breast and 180 in the thick part of the thigh. This will take anywhere from 2.75 – 3.75 hours for a 15-17 pound bird. AS SOON as the meat hits those temp numbers, remove the pan/bird and let it rest in the kitchen (at least 20 minutes or so) before you even think of carving it. You can move the bird to another platter if you want to make gravy from the pan juices, but I’d still let it rest a bit in the pan before you move it.
Trust me, once you do it this way, you’ll never use your oven again (and it will be free for your sides and whatnot).
Good luck, and thanks for reading the blog!
Jim